After biting into one of the moist and delicious mushrooms filled with crab, Ayssa still didn’t like the mushrooms.

Salad is one food that Alyssa has eaten since she was a very young child. We have eaten a wide variety of salads throughout the years. I always knew that there were many health benefits of eating salad, so keeping the salads original and interesting remained my goal.

Last night I decided to cook some mushrooms and add them to a big salad for our dinner. As the onions, garlic and mushrooms cooked down, the aroma filled the air. After all the ingredients were cleaned and cut, I put my salad together with all the ingredients and fixed Alyssa’s with everything except the mushrooms.

“Mom, I think I am going to try the mushrooms to see if I like them yet,” Alyssa said as she walked into the kitchen.

She reached into the pan, grabbed a slice of mushroom between her fingers and popped it into her mouth.

“Eww, yuck. I still hate mushrooms, Mom. Sorry.”

I was just happy that Alyssa was still willing try the mushrooms again just in case her tastes had changed. I will keep on creating new mushroom recipes until I finally make one that will tantalize her taste buds too.

For the rest of us who already love mushrooms, I have a very delicious salad to show you.

Grilled Chicken Mushroom Salad

Wash 16 ounces of mushrooms unless you are brave enough to just wipe off the “stuff,”
but I wash them with cold running water.

Slice 1 onion and try not to cry about it.
This was a mild onion, so no tears for me this time!

Peel and chop at least 5 cloves of fresh garlic.

I love the way garlic smells.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.

Layer the onions, mushrooms and garlic to allow them to cook down and caramelize.

Add 1 tablespoon dried parsley.

Add 2 pinches of oregano after rubbing it between your fingers

to make it more of a “dust” than pieces.
After everything is cooked, add Worcestershire Sauce
and cook a minute longer.

Slice 1 red bell pepper, removing the stem and seeds.

Peel and slice 1 cucumber.

I usually take the seeds out, but Alyssa likes to eat them, so I left them in this time.

Separate, wash and dry the lettuce leaves with a salad spinner or towel.

I use 3 artichoke hearts packed in olive oil and
5 pickled jalapeno peppers with the seeds to add heat to the salad.

Finely chop the artichoke hearts and jalapeno peppers.

Add Kalamata olives and capers.

Finely grate 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it all over the salad.

Add 1 pound of chopped grilled chicken.

While the cooked mushrooms are still warm, add them to the salad.

Toss all the ingredients in the bowl with tongs or large forks.

The warm mushrooms and grilled chicken will slightly melt the Parmesan cheese.

Add a few tablespoons of Caesar Dressing and toss until…

everything is wet.

The only thing left to do is grab a fork and feast on the delicious Grilled Chicken Mushroom Salad!

Maybe you’re thinking that some of the ingredients I added to the salad aren’t foods you enjoy. Well, that is okay because substitutions are totally allowed!

To help get your creative salad juices flowing, the following is a list of some ingredients you might want to incorporate in a salad. Not all of them at once, of course.

avocado

asparagus

snap peas

hard boiled egg

blueberries

nuts, especially almonds and walnuts

strawberries

mushrooms

salmon

cheese

shrimp

carrots

crab

cucumbers

chicken

bell peppers – red, yellow, green

steak

onion – white, yellow

apples

chives

oranges

broccoli

grapes

cauliflower

jalapeno

dried cranberries

pickled beets

raisins

pickles

lettuce

pears

grapes

spinach

tomatoes

lettuce – Romaine, Red Leaf, Arugula

beans – kidney, garbanzo, black, lima

artichoke hearts

corn

sprouts

olives

cabbage

celery

edamame

fennel

water chestnuts

bamboo shoots

grapefruit

kiwi

pomegranate

leek

shallot

banana peppers – Peperoncinis

Obviously, there is no reason to have a boring salad.

What are your favorite salad ingredients?

This post was written by...

Sherry Riter is also known as The Redhead Riter. Sherry is witty, intelligent and addictive as she writes about cooking, family, marriage, failures, blogging tips, art, humor, inspiration, travel, PTSD and aging.
Her goal is to inspire, motivate, educate and to make her audience laugh. Sherry embraces being a redhead and helps others to see the redhead point of view…"In some eras redheads were worshipped while others thought us witches. Personally, I like the former and think every day is 'Love a redhead day!'" She can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Linkedin, tweeting as @TheRedheadRiter and you can subscribe to her free blog feed.

Visiting from the hop. I can never come back again as your photos are just too tempting- gorgeous and huge- love it! Will I inhale calories from just looking? lol Stop by my blog when you have a chance.

Oh Red, this salad has all my very favorites in it! I have always had salads every day and try to make them different. But my husband is such a fussy eater. So I have to make a salad like this just for me!!

It is really amazing that Alyssa is willing to try foods that she thought she didn't like. Most kids won't even try it! She sounds like an awesome person. You have raised her well!

"How rare and wonderful is that flash of a moment
when we realize we have discovered a friend."~William E. Rothschild~Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.I respond back to all comments.